KPJA AND HRCP HOST TWO-DAYS TRAINING WORKSHOP ON ANTI-TORTURE STANDARDS AND FAIR-TRIAL GUARANTEES (OCTOBER 28–29, 2026)

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Judicial Academy (KPJA), in collaboration with the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), supported by the European Union, organized a two-days multi-stakeholder training workshop on anti-torture standards and fair-trial guarantees. The activity brought together Judicial Officers nominated by the Peshawar High Court, public prosecutors and the lawyers, fostering inter-professional learning to bridge the gap between statutory law and daily courtroom practice. The sessions were moderated by Mr. Asad Jamal, Advocate, who led interactive discussions, legal evaluations, and practical group exercises round the two-day program.

The capacity-building initiative focused on the operationalization of the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Act 2022 alongside fundamental constitutional protections under Articles 10, 10A, 13, and 14 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Participants systematically examined international legal instruments, including the UN Convention against Torture, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, emphasizing the dual necessity of eliminating custodial abuse while upholding trial integrity.

Throughout the technical modules, participants evaluated custodial evidence, magistrate duties while issuing remand order, and the scrutiny of coerced confessions under the Code of Criminal Procedure and Qanun-e-Shahadat Order, 1984, together with early documentation standards under the Istanbul Protocol. Further attention was directed to gender- and child-sensitive adjudication under the Juvenile Justice System Act 2018 and global sentencing benchmarks under the Nelson Mandela Rules, Bangkok Rules, and Tokyo Rules.

In final collaborative drafting sessions, mixed professional working groups formulated practical courtroom checklists and survivor referral protocols to ensure immediate application and enhanced accountability in trial courts across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The concluding ceremony was chaired by Mr. Muhammad Shoaib, Senior Director (Research & Publications), who shared closing remarks highlighting the academy's commitment to upholding human rights and fair-trial standards, before distributing certificates of completion among the participants.